This invention relates to a housing for an apparatus such as a copier and more particularly to such a housing separable into upper and lower frames such that the upper frame can be moved relative to the lower frame to open and close the housing.
There have been copiers of the type with a housing separable into upper and lower frames such that a jammed sheet of copy paper can be removed easily by opening the upper frame to separate it from the lower frame. Such a copier may typically include a process unit contained in the upper frame and a paper transporting unit contained in the lower frame, the two frames being connected through an axis of rotation around which the upper frame can be rotated with respect to the lower frame to open or close the housing. Locking means including a hook and a notch may be provided on the distal side from the axis of rotation to keep the housing locked after the upper frame is closed with respect to the lower frame. With a conventional copier thus structured, the lock could become disengaged when a frame is distorted or a brunt force is applied on it such as when the copier is being transported.